This year Men’s Health Week from 10 June to 16 June focuses on men outside of urban areas.
Men in rural and remote areas are more likely to suffer from cardiovascular disease, diabetes, mental health challenges, substance abuse and injuries, according to statistics from the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM).
Dr Aniello Iannuzzi opened his clinic in Coonabarabran 28 years ago and says there are clear reasons for the discrepancies.
“One of the reasons why is access to health services in rural areas,” said Dr Iannuzzi.
“Another is access to lifestyle options like fresh food, gyms, and other sporting facilities.”
“Ironically, in rural areas, one would think there’s more access to a selection of fresh, healthy foods but they’ll get shipped to the cities. You go to the grocery shops in rural areas and the selection is quite poor oftentimes.”
He said another risk is injury from performing manual labour such as farming or mining.
One of the most common issues he sees among men in rural areas is obesity and alcohol consumption.
He says around 50 percent of the issues among the men he sees could have been prevented, either by better nutrition and more exercise, going to the doctor earlier, or better healthcare resources.
“Small town hospitals are very poorly resourced. Rural citizens are treated like second-class citizens compared to city folk in terms of the health services they have access to.”
“One of the good things about small-town medicine is that because there are no specialists around, the doctors have to rely on themselves to be holistic in their approach.”
“Nowadays, you have to go to Dubbo or Tamworth for procedures that only 10 or 15 years ago, you could have gotten done at your local hospital. You can’t really find a physiotherapist anymore and you rarely find a mental healthcare worker anymore. You have fewer visiting specialist services.”
“We don’t have machines like CAT scanners in small towns which makes it very hard for the doctors to do their jobs. Technologies moved a long way over recent decades, small hospitals don’t have access to those technologies, so we’re falling further and further behind.”
“Prioritising healthcare is essential for our families and communities,” Community Reference Group Chair and grazier Angus Whyte said.
“Rural blokes have their share of unique issues,” Mr Whyte said.
“There is a correlation between mental and physical health with weather patterns, particularly drought.”
Physical ailments can often lead to mental ailments and vice versa, according to Dr Iannuzzi. “They all feed off one another. To distinguish physical health from mental health is like saying, ‘Let’s talk about your stomach and not your legs.'”
Men need to see the doctor earlier about any medical complaints they might have and go to checkups regularly.
“Men often leave things too late and they should think about having a checkup every year or two, especially once they get past their 40s.”
“I am a Rural Generalist, but I am also a farmer and I live outside the metropolitan area,” ACRRM President Dan Holiday said.
“I see firsthand how it can be difficult for men living in rural, remote and First Nations communities to take the time to seek preventative healthcare.”
“We need to encourage men to have a relationship with a local family doctor and we need to encourage men to feel comfortable talking to their doctors about things that are worrying them and their health problems,” Dr Iannuzzi said.